The Word Is Alive 1 Corinthians

1. The Word Is Alive1 Corinthians Chapter Six Narrated by Tony Gillon

2. Chapter Six • 1 Corinthians 5:1–6:20 - A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling (continues/concludes)

3. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Summary of Chapter Six • Legal action taken within the church.

4. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Summary of Chapter Six • Legal action taken within the church. • Sinners will not inherit the Kingdom.

5. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Summary of Chapter Six • Legal action taken within the church. • Sinners will not inherit the Kingdom. • The body is a temple to the Lord.

6. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • 1 Corinthians 6:1–11 – • Lawsuits among Believers

7. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • 1 Corinthians 6:1–11 – • Lawsuits among Believers • Some of the Corinthians had wronged each other in various ways, including fraud. Instead of addressing these problems within the church, however, they had taken each other before the local magistrates. The wrongs themselves, and this way of handling them, are both shameful for Christians.

8. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • 1When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints?

9. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • 1When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? • When any of you: • Paul’s teaching applies to all members of the church and not just the leaders.

10. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • A grievance against another: • Although some have argued that Paul is prohibiting Christians from ever going to court against another Christian, he seems in these verses only to be addressing disputes related to property or money, Why not rather be defrauded? (v.7), rather than criminal cases, which fall under the jurisdiction of the state.

11. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • This can be seen in: • Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. (Continued).

12. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience (Romans 13:1–5), where Paul shows that God has established civil government for the protection and good of all people.

13. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • It is doubtful, therefore, that Paul’s intention is that this specific example should be applied in every situation, since not every situation today matches the circumstances of this specific case in Corinth, where the two parties are in the same local church, i.e. among you (v.5), and where the dispute is specifically related to property or money (v.7)

14. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Whatever the circumstances, it is clear from Scripture that disputes between believers need to be handled with the utmost care (vv.1–8), in a wise and godly manner before the watching world; wherever possible under the disciplinary authority of the church; and with the counsel of spiritually mature Christians, i.e. taking it before the saints, who have no stake in the matter and who can give objective, biblical advice.

15. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Refer also to Matthew 18:15–20 regarding the steps that Christians need to take when one believer sins against another believer, and the authoritative role of the church in such cases.

16. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • The unrighteous: • Paul probably is referring to magistrates who are both unbelievers (v.4 and v.6), and who are at times unjust in their judgments. • However, Paul was himself acquitted before such a court in Corinth, although it was not fellow saints that had brought him before it.

17. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. They said, ‘This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.’ (Continued).

18. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews; but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters’ (Acts 18:12-15).

19. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels — to say nothing of ordinary matters?

20. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Saints will judge the world, we are to judge angels. • The people of God will participate with Christ in the final Day of Judgment: As I looked, this horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them, until the Ancient One came; then judgement was given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones gained possession of the kingdom (Daniel 7:21-22), in which the holy ones has the same meaning as saints.

21. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Jesus confirms his disciples will sit in judgement with him: • Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28).

22. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:30).

23. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne (Revelation 3:21).

24. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • It is also alluded to by his brother: • And the angels who did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgement of the great day. (Jude 6).

25. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Are you incompetent to try trivial cases? • If those in church truly believe the teaching of Scripture then they must realise they should be able to work through the differences that may arise within their own community of faith.

26. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Tom Wright concludes: • Paul will allow nothing to shake his basic faith: if Jesus rose from the dead, then he is the Christ; if he is the Christ, those who belong to him are God’s true people; and God’s true people will judge the world. (Continued).

27. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • If God’s true people at the moment look a very unlikely crew to be judging anyone or anything, well then, they must shape up and come into line. They must become, through moral reflection and discipline in the present time, the people they actually are ‘in Christ’ and in the purposes of God. That is what a good deal of this letter is about.

28. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • 4If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?5I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, 6 but a believer goes to court against a believer — and before unbelievers at that?

29. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • If you have ordinary cases: • Paul is not thinking of serious matters that should clearly be tried in a criminal court. It would be wrong not to comply with civil law!

30. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? • Corinth came under the Roman judicial system, which many of them respected. Paul has already stated that their judges were ‘unjust’. This is not because they were in any way corrupt, or not competent to hear civil or criminal cases, but because they were not justified by God and therefore should not be the ones to bring judgement in cases between members of the body of Christ.

31. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • God had chosen human judges of his people and instructed them to provide justice: • I charged your judges at that time: ‘Give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another, whether citizen or resident alien. (Deuteronomy 1:16).

32. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • The church, through its anointed leadership, is now required to do the same. • They are called upon to judge the actions of people within their church, but to do so in a non-judgemental way.

33. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • I say this to your shame: • Plagued by arrogance: • So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours (1 Corinthians 3:21).

34. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, brothers and sisters, so that you may learn through us the meaning of the saying, ‘Nothing beyond what is written’, so that none of you will be puffed up in favour of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? (Continued).

35. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Quite apart from us you have become kings! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we might be kings with you! • (1 Corinthians 4:6-8).

36. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • But some of you, thinking that I am not coming to you, have become arrogant. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. • (1 Corinthians 4:18–19).

37. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • The Corinthians should have been ashamed of their behaviour: • Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion; let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonour (Psalm 35:26).

38. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. • (1 Corinthians 14:35).

39. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. • (1 Corinthians 14:35). • Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. • (1 Corinthians 15:34).

40. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things (Philippians 3:19), for they were not even wise enough to settle a dispute between those in their own congregation.

41. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Although they thought themselves to be wise: • Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. • (1 Corinthians 3:18).

42. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute (1 Corinthians 4:10).

43. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute (1 Corinthians 4:10). • For you gladly put up with fools, being wise yourselves! (2 Corinthians 11:19).

44. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Their actions belied this self-estimation, resulting in their shame: • But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. • (1 Corinthians 1:27).

45. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Before unbelievers at that: • The surprise is that they would rather have a brother or sister tried in a pagan court than in the presence of their church elders. • It is unclear whether Paul was astonished or had more of a mocking tone when he writes a believer goes to court against a believer.

46. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Surely, Paul reasons, there must be someone among you wise enough to decide. • That is, someone with church authority and biblical knowledge to deal with the dispute constructively.

47. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • 7 In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged?Why not rather be defrauded?8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud — and believers at that.

48. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Is already a defeat for you: • By taking the inappropriate action to have lawsuits taken out against other church members without referring the matter to the leadership indicates that damage has been caused, both to the individual in terms of their own spiritual and moral health, and to the reputation of the church.

49. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • Why not rather be wronged? • These terms translate the Greek verb adikeō. Paul used the adjectival form of this verb, adikos, in v.1 to describe the ‘unrighteous’ magistrates that the Corinthians were using to adjudicate their cases.

50. A Report of Sexual Immorality and Legal Wrangling • This implies that the Corinthians were acting like unbelievers rather than like the saints, i.e. the sanctified or holy people that God had called them to be: • To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. (1 Corinthians 1:2).